River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1887-05-05
THE HORSE.
ny DIR. F. r. PARSONS.

said concerning the abuses the horse
Is subjected TO we will, in this letter
set forth as concisely as possible some
of Inc experiences of daily practice
illustrative of former declarations.
We find horse owners quite largely
troubled with mania for one partic-
ular drug or medicine, and that, those
wlO think they know something of
disease have a habit of seeing a
need for the use of this particular
drug under all circumstances. nearly,
or rather their diagnosis is that the
horse is troubled with something that
calls for this remedy. The common
name for this remedy is "Sweet Spirits
of Nitre." Quite recently three diff.
ferent cases of spasmodic collie have
been presented to me, in every one of
which this remedy had been given by
the owner on his own account, or on
the recommendation of some "hOrse
man" before bringing the patient to
me, under the impression that some.
thing was wrong with the kidneys
and that the diuretic effect of this
remedy would give relief. OF course
no relief was afforded because the rem
edy had no applicability to the COM
plant. One simple dose of the proper
medicine gave relief in each of these
cases. Spirits of Nitre is an excellent
remedy in its place, but why it should
be resorted TO for almost every ailment
the horse is heir to no one has yet
informed me; yet it is constantly used
where it is not applicable, and the af-
tlicted animal allowed TO suffer on until
cOnquers nature, when the proper
remedy would have brought relief and
saved much suffering.
There are other weighty cOnsidera-
tiOns connected with the use of dur.
cites of which the uninitiated take no
account owing to the want of knowl-
edge as to the ailment of the animal.
Let it be decided that there is some
thing wrong with the urinary organs.
and, in almost every case diuretics are
used regardless of consequences. The
effect of diuretics is to cause greater
secretion of urine. Now let us suppose
that the symptoms indicate that the
passage of urine is stopped or impeded,
and the impeachment is in the neck of
the bladder; diuretics would simply
increase the secretion while they would
offer no relief to the actual ailment,
and have no tendency to remove the
impediment, but rather to aggravate
the pain of the patient by crowding
more of the secretion into the already
over extended organ, which if not
relieved must result in disaster to the
kidneys. Again, should the symptoms
indicate Inflammation of the kidneys,
(and these symptoms are not SO unlike
those in other urinary difficulties as to
be distinguish ed by the novice then
diuretics would not only be useless but
dangerous.
Strangury, suppressed urinary secre-
ton. and Inflammation of the kidneys,
have their charac teristic symptoms.
by which one can be told from the
other, but the general symptoms are SO
similar that it needs thorough knOwl-
edge, and more than view of these
general symptoms TO reach correct
diagnosis. Why then should diuretics
be resorted to regardless of symptoms
and without knowledge of their effect,
and to the distress and danger of the
ANIMAL The suffering annually inflIct-
ed on the noble horse by this one
method is almost incalculable, and yet
his prosecutors boast of their knowl-
edge.
1t would certainly be serious mat
ter enough were diuretics only used in
cases where the urinary organs are
afflicted, considering the fact that
they are 50 often misapplied, but the
evil enlarges wonderfully VIII en- we
take into account the fact, that, every
internal pain the horse has is traced to
the kidneys, by empyrics, and the
same treatment resorted to in nearly
every case; consequently we find other
wise level headed people giving dur
etics in cases of fatulenL collie, spas
mOdic collie, Inflammation of the lungs,
Inflammation of the bowels, pleurisy,
strangury, diabetes, suppressed urine,
Inflammation of the kidneys, ETC., etc. +,
regardless of the dictates of reason,
the advice of men educated in the
business, and the painful consequences
resulting TO the horse through delay
of proper treatment, if not from actual
injury done through false application
of the remedy. In view of these things
we claim the horse to be the most
abused creature on the face of the
earth, and that those he so nobly
serves, and from whom he receives
such treatment have much to learn in
the line of mercy to dumb animals.